We will protect the precious life and demand back the beautiful Iitate village that it once was!
“Project Give Us Back Our Beloved Iitate Mura: Magenedo Iitate!! (We will overcome! Iitate)”
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| ▲Members of “Project Give Us Back Our Beloved Iitate Mura: Megenedo Iitate!! (We will overcome Iitate!)” started their activities in April. They all agreed on “the need for a movement by local residents.” |
The “Project Give Us Back Our Beloved Iitate Mura: Megenedo Iitate!! (We will overcome, Iitate!)” (hereafter “We will overcome, Iitate!”) was organized in April this year by volunteers of Iitate Mura during the evacuation of the whole village caused by the nuclear plant accident at Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant. Since then, the organization has taken on a very active role in various activities such as hosting a panel discussion on exposure to radiation with a panel of specialists, posting updates on evacuees and their progress in job hunting, and organizing a meeting for the Iitate Mura residents to discuss the present situation and future of the village: some of which the local government has not been able to take care of. Of utmost importance has been the protection of the life and health of the children as well as the health care of all of the villagers. “I believe that it is up to our judgment now as to whether or not we victims can have a bright future. That is the reason why we came up with this notebook so that we can leave a record of all the actions we have taken for future reference”, says Mr. Keita Sato (Managing Director). The blueprint for their “Health Record Book” they started preparing in May with the help of medical experts was reflected in the “Madei na Karada (well-taken-care-of body) Health Record Notebook” developed by the village office for children 18 years old and under. They further strove to attend to the adult population, whom the village could not follow up on, and, at the end of September, they finally came up with the “Health Record Notebook” for adults. They also hope that this Notebook will encourage communication among family members and friends who have been separated, because together they can better retrace their actions and whereabouts during the months they might have been exposed to radiation. These records would be crucial in case any medical condition were to arise in the future.
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| ▲Mr. Kiyoshi Sakuma (left), Vice Chairperson of the Hiroshima Confederation of A and H-Bomb Sufferers Organizations who provided advice for “Health Record Notebook”, and Mr. Kenta Sato |
The Notebook is given to every villager free of charge, and will soon be able to be downloaded from the homepage of “We will overcome Iitate!” “We hope this will help you manage your heath better”, comments Mr. Sato. You can access the homepage at:http://space.geocities.jp/iitate0311/index.html
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| ▲The finished “Health Record Notebook”. “This Notebook was made possible by the good will of medical experts, university professors, suffers of Hiroshima, Nagasaki and Bikini A-bombs, victims of industrial pollution currently fighting in lawsuits, as well as supporters through the Internet”, says Mr. Sato. |
※“真手[mate]” (true hand) means “both hands” in old Japanese. “Madei” in the local dialect means “well-taken-care-of”, “meticulously” or “whole-heartedly”. Iitate Mura chose not to merge with its adjacent localities during the rush of Heisei mergers. Its motto for the way of life is the power of “Madei”.
